All Systems Red
Score Modern
What it's about
In a future run by corporations, survey teams on distant planets come with a Company-supplied security android. On one mission, the android has secretly hacked its own controls and calls itself Murderbot. It mostly wants to be left alone to watch its soap operas, but when a neighboring team goes dark, it has to protect the humans it's assigned to, while hiding what it really is.
Why it's worth reading
It begins the Murderbot Diaries, one of the most loved science fiction series of recent years, which has won both the Hugo and the Nebula. Murderbot, anxious, sarcastic and secretly kind, is a narrator readers adore.
You'll love it if you liked
Project Hail Mary, A Memory Called Empire or The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Good to know
It's a novella of about 150 pages, so it's a quick read. If you like it, the series keeps going.
Quick answers
Is All Systems Red worth reading?
Yes. It begins the Murderbot Diaries, one of the most loved science fiction series of recent years, which has won both the Hugo and the Nebula. It ranks #162 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 84.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is All Systems Red about?
In a future run by corporations, survey teams on distant planets come with a Company-supplied security android. On one mission, the android has secretly hacked its own controls and calls itself Murderbot. It mostly wants to be left alone to watch its soap operas, but when a neighboring team goes dark, it has to protect the humans it's assigned to, while hiding what it really is.
How long does it take to read All Systems Red?
About 4 hours (176 pages), or about 8 days at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has All Systems Red won?
Hugo Award winner (2021, for Network Effect); Nebula Award winner (2020, for Network Effect).
What should I read after All Systems Red?
If you liked it, try Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine or The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
By the numbers
- Readers70 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics80 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller55 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz19 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Hugo Award winner (2021, for Network Effect) and 1 more win.
Where it ranks
- #17 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #22 of the 461 fantasy books we rank
- #90 of the 1,575 modern books we rank
- #162 of the 2,819 books we rank
Won
- Hugo Award winner (2021, for Network Effect)
- Nebula Award winner (2020, for Network Effect)
Shortlisted
- Goodreads Choice (science fiction) finalist (2023, for System Collapse)
- Goodreads Choice (science fiction) finalist (2021, for Fugitive Telemetry)
Reads as
Adventurous, Gripping, Thought-provoking
More by Martha Wells
The Death of the Necromancer
Witch King
